I got notification throughout the day today, at different times, that three people close to me had written articles for various publication. They are as follows:
First there was this one from my father – Laws – But Not Hearts – Have Changed on Racism. “As a child, I listened to wonderful people who spent their lives on the foreign mission field, yet black people weren’t welcome in our church”.
Next, one from my cousin, Don Gilliland – Inner Peace, Part IV on his visit to a Birmingham, Alabama, mosque. “The anxiety I’d felt earlier is beginning not so much to lift as to transform to an awareness of a closely-knit, healthy community. Not terribly different from the communities I’m more accustomed to.”
And last but not least, an editorial from my friend and high school class mate, Reverend Matt Tittle – Liberty University Dehumanizes Homosexuals. “This sort of ignorance, hatred, and hostility have no place in our society today. ”
Now it is not surprising at all to me that these three people wrote these articles. What does kind of startle me though is that they all came out on the same day. Talk about serendipity! The other thing these articles say to me is that I am surrounded by some great people – and you can certainly tell where the ideas that help make up my life come from.
Now I could actually more understand rejecting a candidate for his specific religion than for the fact that they are religious at all. And as far as I have been able to ascertain, I don’t think any of the current mainstream presidential wannabes is planning on turning the oval office into a pulpit. But, I would readily welcome a candidate who is an intelligent religious person. I would find it heartening to elect a leader who has been through the questioning phase of any religious journey and come out with a better understanding of themselves and what they believe in.